This book is appropriate for a sophomore/junior level inorganic course that does not require physical chemistry as a prerequisite. The authors state that what sets this book apart from others is an emphasis on the "facts," instead of on "overarching principles." The first third of the book (Part 1) introduces in a very concise fashion (too concise) nearly all of the topics one might want in a pre-P Chem inorganic course. The last two-thirds of the book is primarily descriptive chemistry of the periodic table, and reads like Cotton and Wilkinson's "Advanced Inorganic Chemistry." The descriptive chemistry in the book is outstanding, but by the time I finished Part 1, there was little time left to cover much of it. I prefer a text that that integrates Part 1 topics with appropriate descriptive chemistry. If you're looking for good problems, I really like the end-of-chapter exercises, including questions from the literature, but the 1995 publication date makes the literature questions dated. The only ancillary is a “print-on-demand” solutions manual.

The cost on the publisher's web site is $139 (Wiley, hardcover, 856 p).